MAVERICK Pour-on for SHEEP - COOPERS - abamectin 0.6% - macrocyclic lactone

Brand: MAVERICK ® Pour-on

Company: COOPERS

FORMULATION: «pour-on» for topical administration. To be applied along the back line of the animal in a strip starting between the shoulder blades.

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S): abamectin: 6 mg/mL (=0.6%)

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s): macrocyclic lactone

INDICATIONS: SHEEP

PARASITES CONTROLLED (spectrum of activity)

RECOMMENDED DOSE

  • 10 ml product/10 kg bw, equivalent to: abamectin 6 mg/kg bw.

SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats: a.i. 10 mg/kg
  • LD50 (acute dermal) in rats: abamectin: a.i. 330 mg/kg
  • Estimated hazard class according to the WHO: not applicable for veterinary medicines

Suspected poisoning? Read the article on abamectin safety in this site.

Withholding periods (=withdrawal times) in days for meat & milk (country-specific differences may apply: read the product label)

  • Meat: Australia 21 days (ESI 28 days)
  • Wool harvesting interval: 6 weeks
  • Milk for human consumption: Do not use in ewes that are producing or may in the future produce milk for human consumption.

WARNING !!!: Never use on humans, dogs or cats

You may be interested in the following articles in this site dealing with the general safety of veterinary products:

RESISTANCE PREVENTION

Risk of resistance of gastrointestinal roundworms to macrocyclic lactones (incl. abamectin): YES, reported in sheep for Haemonchus spp, Ostertagia spp /Teladorsagia spp, Trichostrongylus spp, Nematodirus spp, Chabertia ovina

Resistance of gastrointestinal roundworms to macrocyclic lactones in sheep has been reported almost worldwide, including the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Based on the very abundant and frequent use of macrocyclic lactones in livestock it must be assumed that resistance of these roundworms to this chemical class will continue spreading and strengthening in the future.

This means that if this product does not achieve the expected efficacy against the mentioned parasites, it may be due to resistance and not to incorrect use, which is usually the most frequent cause of product failure.

Alternative chemical classes/active ingredients to prevent resistance of gastrointestinal roundworms through product rotation:

These alternative products may not be available in all countries, or may not be available as pour-ons for sheep.

Learn more about resistance and how it develops.

MARKETING

Are the active ingredients of this product ORIGINAL* or GENERICS**?

  • GENERICS

*Meaning that they are still patent protected and generics are not yet available
**Meaning that they have lost patent protection and may be acquired from manufacturers of generic active ingredients other than the holder of the original patent.

COUNTRIES where this brand/product is marketed: Australia
GENERIC BRANDS available? Yes abundant abamectin products in Australia and New Zealand, not in the USA or Europe.

Click here to learn more about GENERIC vs. ORIGINAL drugs.

For an overview on the most used antiparasitic pour-on brands click here.

COMMENTS

MAVERICK Pour-on for sheep from COOPERS with generic abamectin is one of the numerous products with macrocyclic lactones for the simultaneous control of roundworms and external parasites, although pour-ons of this kind are less usual for sheep than for cattle.

Abamectin, a veteran endectocide introduced in the 1980s (by MSD AgVet → MERIAL), is considered as the "cheap" macrocyclic lactone. It is less potent and more toxic than ivermectin and other macrocyclic lactones but is often "good enough", with a similar spectrum of activity as ivermectin. Interestingly abamectin is widely used on livestock and horses in Australia and New Zealand but so far not in the EU (excepting preciselyy this formulation), the USA and Canada. As for other macrocyclic lactones, abamectin has no efficacy whatsoever against tapeworms and flukes.

Absorption through the skin after pour-on administration is negatively affected by the thickness of the skin and wool length, by dust and mud on the wool, by product lost on fences and yards, etc, factors that don't play a role after injection or drench administration. The pour-on formulation should not be administered to wet animals, and rain shortly before or after administration can cause product run-off and thus under-dosing. The pour-on shouldn't be administered by strong winds that may blow away part of the product and/or contaminate the workers.

The fact that the recommended abamectin dose after pour-on administration (6 mg/kg) is 30 times the usually recommended dose after oral drench administration (0,2 mg/kg) illustrates the very low absorption after topical administration.

Studies in cattle have shown that licking plays an essential role in the intake of active ingredients after topical administration of ivermectin. To our knowledge no serious studies have been carried out to investigate the effect of licking in the intake of macrocyclic lactone after topical administration to sheep.

For these reasons efficacy after pour-on administration is usually less reliable than after injection or oral administration (drench).

Click here for general information on good practices for the prevention and control of gastrointestinal worms in livestock.

DISCLAIMER

This article IS NOT A PRODUCT LABEL. It offers complementary information that may be useful to veterinary professionals and users that are not familiar with veterinary antiparasitics. 

Information offered in this article has been extracted from publications issued by manufacturers, government agencies (e.g. EMEA, FDA, USDA, etc.) or in the scientific literature. No guarantee is given on its accuracy, integrity, sufficiency, actuality and opportunity, and any liability is denied. Read the site's DISCLAIMER.

In case of doubt contact the manufacturer or a veterinary professional.

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